ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: September 16, 2026 AGENDA CATEGORY: Consent - Resolutions TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Phillip Burns, Development Services Director
DATE: August 12, 2026
SUBJECT: Resolution authorizing the application for a Transformative Climate Communities Planning Grant in the amount of $300,000
for the Prosperity Neighborhoods Initiative (Wards 2 and 3)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approving the resolution.
BACKGROUND:
The Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program is a focused neighborhood effort to revitalize disadvantaged communities. A disadvantaged community is an area with a high CalEnviroScreen percentile, which indicates that a community is disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution, environmental degradation, socioeconomic stressors, and adverse health conditions, or an area with a median household income of less than 80% of the area average or less than 80% of statewide median household income.
In its proposed application for the next funding round due September 30, 2026, the City’s focus area is the Niles/Monterey Prosperity Neighborhood and surrounding historic neighborhoods including Downtown and Old Town Kern. The City’s goals for TCC funding are to continue revitalization efforts in Bakersfield’s historic neighborhoods and facilitate transformational projects that support livable, sustainable, and thriving communities. The TCC Planning Grant funding will support the implementation of existing community plans and visions including the Prosperity Neighborhoods Implementation Plan, the Old Town Kern Vision Plan and the Making Downtown Bakersfield Vision Plan.
To support a future TCC Implementation Grant application, if awarded, the TCC Planning Grant will help the City complete the necessary requirements, including but not limited to:
Preparing transformative element plans including displacement avoidance and workforce development plans.
Conducting inclusive community engagement that incorporates input from neighborhood residents and supports and prepares for the future development of innovative and meaningful programs and practices. The community outreach will also prioritize projects aligning with TCC strategies and objectives that reduce GHG emissions and achieve public health, environmental, and economic benefits.
Preparing development opportunities and community needs assessment to help in partnership development, informing the community about TCC eligible projects and identifying and preparing project sites for future community-serving uses, including site identification and planning/design/engineering work needed for project implementation. Development or formalization of a shared governance structure (e.g., a Collaborative Governance Structure).
Staff recommends approving the resolution to align local community visions and needs with the opportunity TCC brings to fund community projects and programs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The grant application does not require matching funds and if approved, would not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Economic Opportunity for All
ATTACHMENT:
Resolution